Adjustable belt



April 29, 1959 i G. A. DYE 3,440,667

ADJUSTABLE BELT Filed Feb. 24. 1965 INvENTo/z Fm] GEORGE A. DYE

United States Patent 3,440,667 ADJUSTABLE BELT George A. Dye, 7518Blutfton Road, Fort Wayne, Ind. 46807 Filed Feb. 24, 1965, Ser. No.434,889 Int. Cl. A4lf 9/02 U.S. Cl. 2325 1 Claim This invention relatesto an adjustable belt, and more particularly to the combination of aflexible waist-encircling band and buckle in which the band is readilyadjustable for length to adapt for different waist sizes and, also toprovide for an permit the interchangeability of bands and buckles.

Almost all belts which are used for trousers, skirts, etc. in mens,womens and childrens wearing apparel include provisions for adjustmentof the belt. These provisions are generally in the form of a bucklehaving a locking finger which fits through one of a number of spacedopenings in the belt with the materials required for adjustment and thenecessary excess to facilitate adjustment, being in evidence byextending beyond the point of securing, overlapping a portion of thebelting materials and requiring a loop either attached to the garment orthe belt to hold the loose end in its proper position. The describedarrangement is objectionable because tension on the belt tends, after atime and through normal use and adjustment, to produce a noticeablecrease, discoloration mark as a result of the marring of the originalfinish, as well as the enlargement and elongation of the spacedopenings. Upon adjustment these unsightly objections are obvious and itis apparent through normal daily use and adjustment the belt has becomeof sub-standard quality, while the loose end of the materials extendingbeyond the point of securing tends to bulge, become rough as well asuneven and has a substantially less attractive appearance. It is alsogenerally provided that such buckles are permanently secured or noteasily removed from the belt, therefore, they cannot be usedinterchangeably with other belts. Consequently, conventionalbelt-and-buckle combinations in or through use tend to be objectionableboth because of the damage the buckle produces to the belt, and becausethe belts and buckles are not readily interchangeable.

It is accordingly, one of the principal objects of the present inventionto provide a novel belt-and-buckle construction in which the bucklepermits a number of adjustments of the flexible waist band encirclingthe waist in order to provide for waist adjustment but without producingthe aforementioned damage to the belt in the form of crease lines andother distortions of the belt.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedbelt-and-buckle construction which can be subjected to the requiredtension, continued and normal use, and without producing theaforementioned damage to the belt in the form of creases, discoloration,marred finish and enlarged or elongated spaced openings thereby assuringthe user of an ever present, smooth, uniform and attractive belt surfacewhose original quality is still in evidence,

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelbelt-andbuckle construction which provides for and permits adjustmentsto a preferred size with assurance to the user that the ever presentappearance will be one of neatness and simplicity as a result of thematerial "ice required for adjustment not being seen and havingeliminated that portion of the overlapping materials used withconventional buckles, which extends beyond the point of securing, isrequired for adjustment, necessary to facilitate adjustment, and theloop attached to the'belt to hold the loose end in its proper position,all of which when subjected to normal daily use and adjustment becomesof sub-standard quality, as a result of bulges, roughness, being unevenand having a substantially less attractive appearance.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelbelt-and-buckle construction which provides for and permits the easyinterchanging of the belt and buckle combination. Therefore, the user ispermitted to select a belt of the correct length of materials such asleather, fabrics or other composition and of a preferred or requiredcolor and/or composition to complement, match or contrast with articlesof wearing apparel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improvedbelt-and-buckle construction which provides for and permits the easyinterchanging of the buckle with the belt material wherein the surfaceof the buckle can be painted or anodized a multiple of colors, or givenplated surfaces, such as platinum, gold, silver, brass or black oxide.Therefore, the user is permitted to select a buckle of a preferred orrequired surface preparation to complement, match or contrast withcostume jewelry or ornamental items such as pins, brooches, necklaces,earrings, etc., accessories such as tie tacks, bars or clasps, cufflinks, etc., belts of preferred colors, composition and/ or materialsand wearing apparel.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improvedbelt-and-buckle construction which is readily adjustable, capable offorming a secure lock, durable and economically manufacturable.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom a consideration of the following description, in which certainselected examples of the invention are illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of the belt buckle which is shown detached fromthe belt;

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the buckle shown in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the buckle in FIGURE 2, shown with the ends ofthe belt band secured thereto;

FIGURE 4 is a detail view of the under surface of the belt and showingdetails of the adjustable snap fasteners;

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the end of the belt illustrated in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the buckle, and one endof the belt positioned and secured with the other end of the belt shownprior to its positioning and securing; and,

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the inventionshowing a different buckle and in which the ends of the belt have adifferent fastener arrangement than shown in FIGURES 1-6.

Referring now to the drawings, the belt, designated generally byreference numeral 10 (FIG. 6) includes a buckle 12 and waist band 14with ends 16 and 18.

The buckle 12 may be of metal or other suitable material of constructionand, as shown in FIGURE 2, is convexly shaped at its side 20 in order toconform with the waist of the user. The buckle includes a slot 22 whichis proportioned so that the ends 26, 28 of the waist band can be passedthrough the slot 22 and then turned back to form loops 30, 32 which areinterlocked with the buckle 12. The loops are adjustable in size toprovide for different waist lengths. Thus, waist lengths are shortenedby drawing more of the belt end 26 or 28 through the buckle, andconversely, the belt is made larger by shortening one or both of theloops and thereby lengthening the waist dimension. The user thus has anassortment of adjustments which can be used to accommodate any desiredwaist length. Once the Waist lentgh is established, the end 28 which hasa snap fastener 40 (FIGS. 4, and 6) held by a clip 42, is snapped intoone of the fastener openings 46, 48, 50 or 52 which are spaced along theundersurface of the waist band. Thus, to foreshorten the belt, the malefastener is pressed into opening 46, and to lengthen the waist, thefastener 40 is fitted into any one of the openings 48, or 52 of thefemale fasteners.

The slot 22 of the belt buckle 12 is dimensioned so that both of theends 26, 28 can be passed through the slot 22 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 6) and theends then doubled back and the waist band drawn down to the preferredlength and then clinched in that position by connecting the snapfasteners 40 into the approprliate female fastener 46 to 52. Each of theends of the band is of identical construction and either one, or both,can be adjusted.

One of the advantages of the belt construction described, is that itprovides a very neat appearance for the user. After the belt isinstalled, there are no bulges which tend to push the surroundingwearing apparel out of shape, thus contributing to a smoothness of thewearing apparel.

"Moreover, after the belt is installed as describbed there are no creaselines which tend to develop on the belt as in the previous conventionalbuckle construction. That is, the belt does not tend to becomedisfigured or misshaped during use. The belt after being adjusted byselecting a different combination of fasteners, does not bear any of theusual disfiguring crease lines or discoloration.

The buckle 12 can of course be embellished with other decorations or itcan be plain, depending upon the design preference of the user.

After the belt is in place, there are no visible ends, all that appearsis the face of the visible portion of the buckle and the confrontingloops 30, 32 which are passed through the slot 22, the appearance beingone of neatness and simplicity. Since the inner surface of the buckle 20is convexly shaped, it is contoured the same as the belt band and,therefore, the belt is smooth throughout its girth, and does not tend toproduce any objectionable bulges of the wearing apparel about the waist.

Whenever it is desired to change the band 1'4, both ends 26, 28 aresnapped off to open the loops 30, 32 and detach the loops from thebuckle 12 and the band is then readily replaced with a different band ofthe desired color, composition, or style, still using the same buckle12. Thus, the user has available a wide assortment of styles, shapes,colors, materials best suited for harmony with the given pattern ofsuit, dress or the like. In like manner, different color buckles areinterchangeable with the band 14.

It is also possible to vary the buckle construction and the fasteningarrangement for the loops. For example, referring to the embodiment ofFIGURE 7, the band is provided with a number of spaced openings 62 to 70which are spaced along the opposite ends 72, 74. The ends are thenpassed through a slot 76 of buckle 78 having a convex shape at its side77 to conform with the waist of the user and after adjusting for thewaist size, a proper one of the openings is fitted over its respectiveprong end 80 or 82. The ends of the belt 72, 74

are thus held in place and form loops which are held together by thebuckle 78. The slot 76 in buckle 78 serves the same purpose as the slot22 in buckle 12 illustrated in the previous embodiment in that itretains the ends of the belt which form oppositely bending loops; theends of the loops are closed by detachable fasteners and the size of theloop is adjustable to control for waist length. The fastening for thebelt, as in the previous embodiment, is reliable, strong, and cannot beaccidentally removed, but is nevertheless easily adjusted as the needarises. Different bands of varying shapes, composition, color, etc. canbe used by simply passing the ends through the slot 76 and securing oneor the other of the spaced openings through the cooperating prong 80 or82 to form the fastening. The buckle 78 can be plain in appearance, orit can be constructed with a multiple of surface treatments as desired.

The embodiments which are described, provide an inexpensive but readilyadjustable and versatile belt construction which is not only attractivein appearance but is also structurally reliable and inexpensive tomanufacture. The belt construction avoids the unattractive crease lineswhich are incident to wear; it provides a neat, attractive appearanceproducing minimal bulginess to other clothing around the Waist.

Although the present invention has been illustrated and described inconnection with the two selected example embodiments, it will beunderstood that these are illustrative of the invention and are by nomeans restrictive thereof. For example, many other fasteners can readilybe provided by those skilled in the art and still come within the spiritand scope of the present invention. For example, to fasten the end ofthe waist band in its loop around the buckle, there are many otherfastening expedients which are usable, for example, hooks, stays, andother expedients, all of which are comprehended by the presentinvention.

It is reasonably to be expected that those skilled in this art can makenumerous other revisions and adaptations of the invention, and it isintended that such reversions and adaptations be included within thescope of the following claim as equivalents of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A belt and buckle ensemble comprising a flexible waist encirclingband having lengthwise side edges and having opposing end portions, saidend portions being adapted to be turned back upon themselves to defineclosed loops and adjustable fastener means carried by the end portionsand the adjoining portions of the band for securing the end portions inselected loop sizes, a buckle formed a single plate, said plate having alengthwise dimension in alignment with the waist encircling band and thelengthwise side edges thereof, and said plate being formed centrally ofthe length thereof with a single substantially rectangular verticalslot, said slot being constituted by opposing, substantially paralleland relatively short bounding transverse end walls which are spacedapart a distance slightly greater than the transverse distance betweenthe opposing side edges of the band and said slot being furtherconstituted by opposing, substantially parallel bounding side walls,said side walls being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than thecombined thickness of the loops, said end portions of the band beingthreadingly passed through the slot and turned back and secured to theband by the fasteners, so that the thusly formed loops are engagedthrough the slot and attached to the plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS (Other references on followingpage) UNITED 5 1 6 STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Garbatt 24206X 655,3089/1930 France. Sobel 24208 X 614,097 12/1948 Great Britain. Ostolaza2474 X Kennon 27 176 X 5 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. Dy 1 G. V.LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. Graf 2-317 Critchley 2-322 X Wiethorn 2 322Caravella 24176 X

1. A BELT AND BUCKLE ENSEMBLE COMPRISING A FLEXIBLE WAIST ENCIRCLINGBAND HAVING LENGTHWISE SIDE EDGES AND HAVING OPPOSING END PORTIONS, SAIDEND PORTIONS BEING ADAPTED TO BE TURNED BACK UPON THEMSELVES TO DEFINECLOSED LOOPS AND ADJUSTABLE FASTENER MEANS CARRIED BY THE END PORTIONSAND THE ADJOINING PORTIONS OF THE BAND FOR SECURING THE END PORTIONS INSELECTED LOOP SIZES, A BUCKLE FORMED A SINGLE PLATE, SAID PLATE HAVING ALENGTHWISE DIMENSION IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE WAISTE ENCIRCLING BAND ANDTHE LENGTHWISE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, AND SAID PLATE BEING FORMED CENTRALLYOF THE LENGTH THEREOF, WITH A SINGLE SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR VERTICALSLOT, SAID SLOT BEING CONSTITUTED BY OPPOSING, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLELAND RELATIVELY SHORT BOUNDING TRANSVERSE END WALLS WHICH ARE SPACEDAPART A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE TRANSVERSE DISTANCE BETWEENTHE OPPOSING SIDE EDGES OF THE BAND AND SAID SLOT BEING FURTHERCONSTITUTED BY OPPOSING, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL BOUNDING SIDE WALLS,SAID SIDE WALLS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THECOMBINED THICKNESS OF THE LOOPS, SAID END PORTIONS OF THE BAND BEINGTHREADINGLY PASSED THROUGH THE SLOT AND TURNED BACK AND SECURED TO THEBAND BY THE FASTENERS, SO THAT THE THUSLY FORMED LOOPS ARE ENGAGEDTHROUGH THE SLOT AND ATTACHED TO THE PLATE.